Ursa in the Streets
by clarielparke
Summary: Part 3 of The Fire Lotus Series. A Play in Four Acts. Mature readers only please.


The streets were empty. Utterly deserted.

Typical. Tugging at the tiny black fur jacket, Ursa attempted to shield herself against the wind as she soldiered on down the dark alleyway, searching for some lonely male ready to pay a quick few hundred bao for her services. Of course, her chest got in the way. With nipples spiked out from exposure to chill gusts of wind, she stalked on down the streets with a determined long legged stride. The tight shiny purple dress that the Manager had picked for her was hardly the designer fashion that she'd gotten used to wearing during her days as Noriko, reigning queen of whores at the Fire Lotus. Neither was it anything like the stiff formal dresses she'd been forced to suffer during her previous life in the Fire Nation.

A brief shiver ran through her at the memory. Well, at least this was an improvement in comparison. The knee-high leather boots were pleasantly tight. The fishnet stockings actually warmed part of her long thighs somewhat. Hugging her midriff, mindful to stick her ample chest out while still hiding her face strategically from the bitter wind, she marched down the street on high clicking heels. She knew where she was going.

The Red Light District. Ostensibly known for it's tea houses and theatres, this was also an area of Yu Dao famous for the number of scantily dressed young females and pretty boys gracing the streets, blowing kisses and issuing catcalls to wide eyed tourists from all Four Nations. When Ursa first arrived in the Fire Nation colony eight years ago, confused and upset with the sudden loss of every known part of her life and self, she'd stumbled into some seedy hostel to rent a small dingy room, attempting to recover her sanity and reeling with the realization of what she'd just done.

She was a murderess. She's just killed her father in law and abandoned her children. For their own good. Or so she attempted to tell herself. To tell the truth, she knew she'd made a mess of things. And yet, let's face it, it was kind of a relief to finally be free. Except she'd never have expected it to be that hard to actually get a job to earn her keep. Spending her days searching for employment at obscure herbalists' stores and local theatres, she was dismayed to find out that in spite of her obvious knowledge and talent, no one would employ her. The economy was in recession. Fire Nation politics had forced Yu Dao into a decline. Oh, the irony!

So, when that sleazeball creep at the theatrical agent's office had tipped her off about Madam Zozei's place (after taking his sweet time in pushing her up against the wall for a lengthy fuck while pawing her breasts and marring her smooth flesh with scratches from his dirty nails) of course she'd jumped at the opportunity. By then, Ursa had already been starved and desperate, unable to pay for the next night's rent. It was a well-guarded secret that even before that, she'd walked down these streets in high heels and a short dress, ready to sell her ass to any stranger who'd offer her a few quick bao for using any available part of her body. It had only happened a handful of times. Well, maybe ten. Or maybe twenty. When she got the job at the brothel, she'd been ecstatic. Also, thoroughly prepped. But say the joy that lasts. Here she was, back in the very same situation, stalking down the streets to offer her body and her skills to strangers. Oh, the irony!

 _1 000 000 bao. He has to be fucking kidding me!_

Continuing down the widening, brightly lit streets, she shrugged the realization that maybe her chosen type of men weren't entirely good for her down the drain. It was time to go to work.

Angling off from the Red Light district with its undressed girls and boys calling out enticingly to bewildered tourists from all Nations, Ursa squared her shoulders, stuck her chest out proudly and located the side street leading to the Theatrical District. Oh yes. This was it. A well guarded secret of hers. The best part in the entire city to get game.

Leaning back against the marble wall of an imposing monument dedicated to the martial exploits of her grandfather-in-law Sozin, she allowed the tiny fur jacket to slide down her bare arms. The full moon glared down at her, illuminating her smooth pale skin, mixing with lurid orange neon from artificial lights. She felt warm but her nipples were erect, poking at the flimsy shiny material of the cheap dress. Lowering her thick black lashes coyly, she lit one of the tobacco sticks that she'd become addicted to since her arrival in Yu Dao. Also, the glow of one was of course the universal sign of a hooker at service. The Girl Is In. Yes, We Will Take You On, Sir.

The small bright orange flare lit the night up like a rocket.

Well, let no one say that this wasn't kind of exciting. A bit like fishing, really. You never knew how it'd turn out. Of course, no matter how ugly or small the fish, you had to catch it. There was nothing but wins in this game. Unless the guy in question found somebody more attractive and took off.

Ursa adjusted her short dress slightly to showcase more of the expanse of bare pale thigh above the edge of the red stayup fishnet stockings.

The first client appeared roughly 30 seconds later. Smiling sweetly, Ursa batted her thick black lashes at him and blew a trail of smoke up through the air. Of course, the tobacco stick trick always worked like a charm. So far she'd never once been able to finish a stick from start to end while doing this.

Middle aged. Somewhere in his fifties, somewhat portly. Typical john, entirely unremarkable. Opening her large golden eyes to blaze their full glory at him, Ursa arched her back to display her curves at a better angle. A tiny smile curled her full lips.

"Lonely night, hm?"

He was circling her slowly, checking every aspect of her body. Ah. Obviously a seasoned client, used to buying whores regularly and inspecting the goods beforehand.

"Maybe."

She shrugged the fur jacket off and threw a bare arm casually up over her head.

"Well, it's awfully hot tonight, isn't it?" Now, if that wouldn't get to him, what would?

He cocked an eyebrow at her. "Can it with the conversation, slut! Pull your skirt up. I want to inspect the goods before I buy."

All right, so now they were speaking the kind of language that she understood. Hitching her short tight skirt up to waist level, Ursa revealed her shaved pussy with the tiny fire nation pubic hair marker above it. Twirling slowly, hands on hips, she displayed her firmly rounded buttocks. Then, she leaned back against the monument to direct an honest golden stare at him.

"All right, sir! What's your poison? A blowjob's 1000 bao. Vaginal fuck 2000, but comes with a 500 bao discount if you get a blowjob too. Anal's 4000, unless you get either of the others in addition. Then it's 2500."

"Hm. You're kind of expensive for a trashy street whore, aren't you?" He reached out to whack one of her buttocks.

All right, so she had him. The fish was hooked.

"Try me. I'm worth it. Cash in advance, please."

Pulling out his purse, the man gave a sour grimace and handed her the least possible amount of money.

"Here you go. A blowjob will do nicely. Make sure to pull that dress down so that I can see your boobs."

With a tiny frown, Ursa pocketed the cash in her fur jacket. Then, she shrugged and pulled the tiny slinky purple dress down to bare her spectacularly magnificent breasts to the client's greedy eyes. His hands went out to grab them automatically. A hard gold stare stopped him short.

"Hold your horses, mister! A titty fuck's 500 bao."

Grumbling, the portly stranger leafed through the meagre contents of his money pouch.

"All right then, here you go you fucking piece of scumbag whore! I don't want to fuck your tits. I just want to play with them while you blow me."

Ursa raised an eyebrow at him. All business.

"No problem. You paid for it, so go ahead and touch them to your heart's delight. Don't put any marks on them though, or my pimp's bound to come after you with a razor. He doesn't like his property damaged."

As the client's hands went out to lock on her bare breasts to mash and knead them, Ursa sank down to her knees to open up his trousers. The lazy bastard apparently wasn't about to help her out one bit. Instead, he was occupied with tugging and pulling painfully at her nipples, alternately kneading her full bare breasts with calloused palms. Hm. Now, that was actually not all that unpleasant.

His hardon was entirely unremarkable. Neither long nor thick nor short nor puny, just the regular deal. Also, not completely clean, issuing forth a slightly sour smell. With a tiny frown, the former Fire Lady took his balls in a soft pleasant grasp and clasped the base with the other, leaning down to clean it up with her hot tender mouth. Her long pink tongue travelled up the whole length of him. Then, she dove forward to suck the swollen head into her mouth, rubbing the stalk gently while opening her great golden eyes to stare up at him.

The client's eyes widened momentarily. His fingers tugged painfully hard at her erect nipples. Then, he just leaned back with a groan to release her breasts and bury his hands in her hair. A hard shove pushed the erect member down her throat. Well, luckily Ursa was entirely prepared. Opening her oral passage nimbly, she swallowed him down completely, bobbing her head quickly up and down. Her full wet lips left a glistening trail of saliva all over the erect member. Teasing the underside with her tongue to create full effect, she had a good rhythm set up in a flash, sliding him in and out of her to an efficient beat. The sourish taste was gone in like 10 seconds flat. Now, this was a job well done!

The client was panting loudly, pushing his portly gut into her forehead while holding her head locked in a firm grasp and fucking her hot mouth with deep strokes. The sharp cobblestones ached into her knees. His hands kept pushing her head down. Frowning with discomfort, Ursa increased the speed of her bobbing and intensified her sucking. Above her, the client moaned quite audibly. He was knocking at the back of her throat, throbbing and pulsing with engorgement. All right, so this would be a cinch.

"Ah! Oh, you fucking whore! Bloody piece of garbage! Piece of shit scum trash! Ah! Oh… Here I go!"

The sudden yank on her hair took her by surprise. Pulling out of her mouth suddenly, the client took his hardon in his hand to rub it violently, still holding her head locked in a painful grasp. The hot shower of cum sprayed her face unexpectedly. Shocked, Ursa barely had the time to close her eyes before it hit. Quickly, she opened her mouth wide in order to make sure to catch as much of the white salty liquid as possible. There seemed to unusal amounts of it. When the client finally let go of her hair, trickles of gooey substance were dripping out of her mouth and down her cheeks. Blushing, Ursa struggled to her feet. The client was panting, staring at her with an eerie grin while fastening his trousers. As she reached out for her jacket and some tissue, he stopped her, catching her breasts in his hands to pinch and tug at her nipples.

"No. Not yet. I want to have a proper look at you. Yes, just like that. With my cum dripping down your face and your boobs in my hands. All right. That's good. Next time, maybe I'll fuck you. See you around."

With that, he was gone, footsteps echoing on the pavement. Cheap bloody bastard didn't even leave her a tip for cumming in her face. Cursing, Ursa found her stash of tissues and wiped the sticky semen off her skin, adjusting her makeup in the compact mirror. A quick movement and the shiny purple dress went up to cover her bare breasts. The nipples were erect and poking out aggressively.

Great. So now, she wasn't just annoyed, but horny as well. If that bastard ever dared approach her again, she'd certainly make him pay. Possibly for a buttfuck.

With a snort, she leaned back against the monument to light another cigarette. Above her, stars twinkled benevolently. Well, at least it wasn't raining. As a street worker, one quickly learned to be grateful for small graces.

"Excuse me, Miss?"

A tall shadow, slightly stooped, loomed over her, obscuring the moonlight.

Ursa shot him a sweet smile, voice soft and eyes sharp. "Yes? How may I be of service?"

He was old. Probably pushing seventy, with long white hair wrought up into a topknot and a goatee beard. Long robes of rich brocade and silk. Most likely a government official or a public servant of some sort. Maybe a wealthy merchant. For a brief moment, he reminded Ursa uncomfortably of her deceased father in law. A brief shiver ran through her.

The old man extended a somewhat trembling hand towards her. Faded amber eyes lit up with a sudden bright gold gleam.

"I… I visited the Sweet Aroma Teahouse earlier. The owner sometimes orders me a special kind of tea…"

Ursa nodded knowingly. "Ah yes. Ginger tea."

The old man nodded, looming over her. He was staring down into her cleavage. His trembling fingers approached her hair. Ursa took a nimble step aside, pushing her pelvis out and cocking her head to one side.

"A… And some special ingredients the owner likes to add."

"Of course. I understand completely. He asked you to test if the blend was sufficiently… ah, spicy, didn't he? Of course."

Hm. This client looked rich. Not quite as wealthy as the noblemen at the Fire Nation Court, but almost. She decided to take a gamble.

"Well sir, I believe that I can help you carry out the test. Just name the manner in which you'd like me to perform it. A blowjob's 3000 bao. Vaginal fuck 6000, but comes with a 1500 bao discount if you get a blowjob too. Anal's 12000, unless you get either of the others in addition. Then it's 9500. Oh, and a titty fuck is 1500 bao."

Another sweet smile as she batted her long lashes.

The old man's eyes widened momentarily. The spark in them increased.

"A… the usual way will do fine, thank you."

"Vaginal? Of course. That would be 6000 bao. Cash in advance, please."

His pouch was obviously better stocked than that of the previous client. Handing Ursa the required sum, he watched as she pocketed the money and turned her back to him in a wide legged stance. She hoisted the short skirt of her purple dress up over the firm globes of her buttocks, then leaned forward to brace herself against the marble with her hands.

"All yours, sir. Go ahead."

The old man caught her left hip in a surprisingly hard and greedy grasp. Sharp nails grazed her soft skin. Hoisting his robes up, he took his hardon in his right hand and lunged forward suddenly, pushing the head in.

" _Ow!"_ Ursa cried out in surprise.

"Spirits, that's the wrong hole, old man!"

"Oh! Oh sorry, miss!" A soft slurping noise as he pulled out of her forcibly widened butthole.

The next thrust had him buried halfway up her cunt, pushing Ursa forward against the monument. His cock was significantly larger and thicker than the average client's, throbbing with the effects of potency enhancing tea. A second thrust had him buried balls deep in her, knocking at her cervix. A gasp escaped her.

A hoarse groan as the old man took her shapely hips in a greedy grasp, grinding himself in even further. Sliding out slowly, he plunged back in and started fucking her with some force. Panting, Ursa kept herself balanced with her hands against the monument, breasts swinging with the force of his motions.

 _Spirits! If I'd known the tea was this potent, I'd charged him the double. Oh no, ginger tea! That makes them last twice as long!_

Behind her, the old client was pounding into her with wild abandon, no doubt relishing reliving pleasures of his youth. His nails kept biting into the soft skin of Ursa's hips, stinging them. He was grunting, plowing away at her tender pussy, causing an increasing heat and a profusion of squishy noises. Ursa was panting, attempting to shift away but unable to move. As the speed of the client's thrusts increased, she changed tactics, pushing back at him and attempting to squeeze him into orgasm with her internal muscles. All to no avail. Lost in the throes of the potency drug, the old man kept pounding away at her soft core as if intending to split her in half. It seemed to last for an eternity. Before Ursa's inner eye a demon vision rose-

Azulon, her murdered father in law, fucking away at her with cruel force, finally getting back at her. The old man pounding her senseless to get his revenge, laughing at her helplessness. The-

With a shrill cry, Ursa came helplessly, knees buckling, cunt clutching at the old man's grotesquely engorged cock. He kept pistoning mindlessly in and out of her, holding her upright only by the grasp on her hips and his organ impaling her. She was writhing and tossing, caught up in her vision of her father in law's revenge, caught on that old monster cock as it pounded her into the Spirit World. Another orgasm made her come undone completely, screaming with pleasure.

Behind her, the old client answered by increasing his thrusts to a wild crescendo. With a hoarse groan, he emptied his load of cum in the deepest recesses of her clutching core, holding her locked in an iron grasp until he'd finished spending every drop. When he finally released her and pulled out, she almost fell down to her knees. Stumbling, she righted herself and searched through her pocket stash for tissue. Damn, she had to stop this flood from streaming out of her before it ruined her fishnets.

The old client had rearranged his robes and was regarding her with some benevolent concern.

"Are you all right, Miss? You look a bit… put out."

Ursa quickly straightened and sorted her features into the kind of aloof masque learned during her years as a Fire Nation Princess. Granted, it was a hard feat to retain one's dignity with a flood of semen erupting out of one's pussy, but one had to at least attempt to try.

"Why, of course! I must say that ginger tea blend was very efficient. You may tell the owner he could probably charge the double of whatever you paid."

She shot the client a sharp golden glance. Old he was, but not short on the uptake.

"Of course. And what about you, Miss? You certainly deserve the double too. Here you go. An additional 6000 bao. My compliments on your services. You are a very talented young lady."

Handing her the additional sum, the old client gave a little bow. "It would be a pleasure to enlist your services again."

Throwing the sticky tissue away, Ursa nodded and pocketed the money. "Thank you. I'd be honoured if you would return."

Leaning back against the monument, she lit another tobacco stick and consumed it in deep drags. Then, she lit another. Her throat felt parched and raspy. Damn, she needed something to drink. All right. It was time for a break. Time to head over to another of her favourite haunts.

* * *

The Blue Flame Inn really wasn't an inn nowadays. Rather a thriving and expanding combined hotel and restaurant business, which in recent years had enjoyed an increasing popularity with visiting merchants, businessmen or sightseeing members of the nobility from the Four Nations. Along with one of the best restaurants of Yu Dau, The Orchid Pot, there was also Ursa's favourite bar.

The Orchid Bar. Where polite, attentive barmen would provide silent and swift service, providing her with drinks in the evening and refreshing tea after a strenuous day's shopping. Well, tonight had certainly proved strenuous, but in an altogether different way.

She needed to clean up, and fast. And then, she needed to spend a few well-earned bao on some sparkly peach wine.

But first, she needed to get inside the place. And that was the real problem. Taking a deep breath, she straightened her posture, stuck her chest out aggressively and arranged her features into a mask of cool aloofness. Climbing the marble stairs with a long legged stride, she stared straight ahead with bright gold Fire Nation eyes.

"Excuse me, Miss! Excuse me!"

Ursa stopped at the top of the stairs to turn her head with exaggerated slowness. Posing with a hand on her hip, she raised a delicate black eyebrow at the speaker.

"Yes? Are you addressing _me_?" Her voice was incredulous, haughty.

The doorman was tall, burly and liveried. He also looked ready to move in to bar the doorway to stop her from entering.

"Yes! I'm talking to you! Are you a guest of the hotel, Miss? If so, kindly prove it by stating the number of your room or suite."

Ah, the young. So ambitious, so overzealous. Clearly, here the offer of a free blowjob wouldn't suffice. Raising her chin a fraction, she looked down her straight elegant nose at him.

"I'm here to meet my husband. He's dining with a client of his in your excellent restaurant. Why, is there a problem? Has there been a case of food poisoning in the Orchid Pot recently, perhaps? In that case, I suggest you alert the authorities immediately. I will of course be of assistance in the matter."

The doorman's eyes widened significantly. He was professional enough to rearrange his features in half a second, but that brief time was enough to cause Ursa an internal grin of triumph.

 _Of course. All restaurants have incidences of food poisoning. And none of them want the authorities notified and their serving licences revoked._

The doorman was stammering and sweating visibly. "Of… Of course, Mi… Ma'am! I mean, no! Of course there have been no incidences of food poisoning at the Orchid Pot. That's pure hearsay, in fact evil rumours spread by our competitors."

Ursa graced him with a sweet smile. "So…?"

He eyed her outrageous attire nervously, from the short fur jacket, over the short slinky purple dress, down to the high-heeled leather boots and the red fishnet stockings leaving an expanse of bare pale thigh exposed to the viewer.

"Please… Please understand my viewpoint here, Ma'am! The Orchid Pot and Bar doesn't allow single female visitors. The management doesn't want this to become a haunt for… for ladies of the night. I… I beg your pardon but your attire as such would lead one to believe…"

A tinkling laugh as Ursa threw her long neck back in a tiny fit of mirth. "What!? You actually thought I was a prostitute? Ha ha, that's priceless! Just wait until I tell my husband!"

The doorman moved in nervously. "Now, no need to tell him, Ma'am! I mean, I've clearly got no sense of current ladies' fashion. I just automatically assumed…"

She smirked. "No, clearly you don't. This here look is all the rage amongst ladies of the Fire Nation nobility these days. My, I had no idea that Yu Dao would be such an old fashioned outback!" She sniffed and batted her long eyelashes in disapproval.

The doorman blushed and bowed, thoroughly humbled by the manners of the former Fire Lady.

"I… Accept my deepest apologies, Ma'am! Of course, you may proceed. Welcome to the Orchid Pot."

"Why, thank you." Perfectly poised, Ursa swept in through the hotel entrance, casually slipping the cowering doorman a 500 bao tip from her jacket stash as she passed. It wouldn't do to be stingy. Besides, in taking her money he'd already incriminated himself far enough not to be able to tell on her if worse came to worse.

A quick trip to the ladies restroom allowed Ursa to refresh her makeup, comb her long dark hair out and remove any damning traces of sticky substance from her smooth pale thighs. Spirits, some clients ought to come with their own warning label, like 'Caution! Excessive geyzering!' or such. Still, that single trick had earned her twelve times the sum that the same single act would usually bring in. So, she could afford to treat herself to a tiny reward.

Moving into the long stretch of the softly lit bar area, she stated quickly that it retained its ingrained quality of an ancient Fire Nation's gentlemen's club, complete with carved dark cherry wood panels, rich furnishings in warm shades of crimson and maroon, soft plush carpets and leather furniture. Behind the counter, a sequence of replica paintings of the portraits of former Fire Nation rulers greeted her, staring out of gaudy gilt frames. With a deep sigh of relief, she perched on top one of the high barstools, crossing her long legs automatically to display them to the best effect. She removed her fur jacket to drape it over the back of her seat. Then, and only then did she allow herself a short peek at the latest addition in the line of portraits:

A tall handsome young man in royal robes, his perfect features marred by a dark burn scar around the left eye. The Fire Nation's current ruler.

Zuko. Ursa gave the portrait another longer look, then nodded and turned her eyes away decisively.

Yes. It had all been worth it. And now, after saving her son's life and changing the future, she was finally free to follow her own chosen path. The path of a-

"What'll it be, Ma'am?"

Well, at least the barman was refreshingly down to the point. No kidding around and calling her "Miss" just because she wasn't accompanied by a male. She appreciated that.

"Sparkly peach wine, please. Make that a bottle. Just keep refilling my glass, please. Water on the side."

The barman effectuated the order quickly enough. Ursa made a particular point of paying for it immediately, in order to prevent getting thrown out of the place for soliciting male customers to pay for her. No better way to keep the barman off her back than to prove she had her own independent means. Besides, that tactic usually attracted a way classier kind of game.

The barman reached out discreetly to refill her empty glass.

 _Spirits, Ursa! You're a real floozy for sparkly peach wine, aren't you? Watch it, or you'll end up a lush or worse!_

A voice from the past echoed through the room, causing her to shiver. Yes, her husband had always taunted her about her predilection for the stuff. Sipping the fruity bubbly liquid with some relish, Ursa grinned.

 _Yeah? Well guess who ended up the worse for wear, eh? Up yours, Ozai! Oh, and congratulations by the way! I guess we both went on to fulfil our destiny!_

Another refill of sparkly liquid.

A loud shout disturbed her reverie. "Eh, old man, come give us a refill of everything over here! What are you, dense or something? We've been sitting here with empty cups for the last… 20 seconds?"

A gaggle of male laughter. Shrieks and hoots of mirth. An annoyed stare from the barman as he started to effectuate the order. Narrowing her eyes, Ursa attempted to catch a good look at the company causing the ruckus.

Six young males, in their late teens or early twenties by the look of it. Well dressed, well groomed, wealthy looking. Three of them with an Earth Kingdom look to them, three of them clearly Fire Nation descendants. Rowdy, boisterous young males, ready for a night of fun out on town. What they were doing here was anyone's guess. Probably just tanking up on drinks in order to fuel their party mood. Maybe even on their way to some society bash where they could meet up with their equally wealthy socialite girlfriends. Clearly not the kind of people on the lookout to score a date with a working girl like herself.

She emptied her glass decisively and gestured at the barman for a refill. A quick scan of the premises did indeed reveal a few male customers scattered about the elongated room, seated in pairs or in one case, on his own reading a document of some sort. Sharpening her eyes like a bird of prey, Ursa targeted each one of them, searching out every significant detail of their dress and demeanour.

Hm. Possibly the distinguished looking Fire Nation gentleman in his forties reading the document. Now, if only she could get his attention…

A sharp yell next to her ear interrupted her train of thought.

"Hey, barman! Whats' going on with our order, eh? Somebody nail you shoes to the ground?"

Noisy laughter from the company of young revellers. Fired on, the youth continued.

"Or maybe someone glued your hands to a couple of bottles? Now, wouldn't that be a fun sight! Imagine this poor dunce here having to go through life with bottles glued to his hands. What do you think, eh?"

Another raucous shout of glee from the company in the corner. Over to the left, the Fire Nation gentleman shot them an irritated glance. He was rising, apparently getting ready to leave. Ursa's golden eyes narrowed in annoyance.

"Can it with the nonsense! Can't you see he's busy? He's busting his ass here attempting to complete your order. Now, go sit down like a good boy and wait to be served like everybody else. That should do you some good."

The young man turned to stare at her in shock. For a brief moment, his mouth was actually gaping. Apparently noticing her for the first time, he took in all of her appearance.

"Well hello _there!_ How long have you been sitting there for? All on your lonesome! Did you get stood up by a date?

 _No, but you and your bunch of loudmouth friends just fucking scared a potential one away._

She shot the Fire Nation gentleman a regretful look as he passed them on his way out of the bar. Well, at least having his interest transferred to her had made this young lout stop harassing the poor barman.

Ursa flicked her lighter open and lit a tobacco stick with a practised movement. Blowing a plume of smoke up through the air, she fixed the young man with an unwavering gold stare.

"Nope. I was just sitting here on my own, minding my business and having a drink. That is, until a bunch of loudmouth hooligans decided to disturb my piece and quiet."

The young man's green eyes blinked once. Pushing his brown hair off his forehead, he straightened self consciously and moved a bit closer to her, leaning back casually with an elbow on the bar.

"Well, I'm Laon. My friends and I are out celebrating the Mid Term break. I'd be happy to buy you a drink. What are you having?"

Ursa raised her fluted glass in a tiny cheer. "Peach bubbly. Thanks for the offer, but it's already bought and paid for."

The green eyes widened significantly. "You… You paid for your own drink? But that's… I mean, you shouldn't have to do that! Somebody with your looks could have every man in the Four Nations buying her drinks."

Unable to uphold the deadpan façade any longer, Ursa threw her head back and laughed. She could feel the bubbles working their magic.

"I don't require that amount of bubbly, but thank you so much anyway. I'm sure you mean well. But now, I really have to get going. I hope you and your friends have a seriously wild night out on town. Well I'm sure you don't need my well wishes for that!"

She pulled her fur jacket back on and made as if to slide down off the barstool. The young man stopped her with a hand on her arm. One significant look from Ursa made him release it, a hot blush on his cheeks.

"I… I mean it would be a pity if you were to leave! Without us getting to know each other better, I mean. I'm sure my friends would love to get to know you too. Why don't you come sit down at our table…?"

He left the question hanging in the air. With a sigh, Ursa decided to humour him.

"Noriko. My name's Noriko."

A smile. "Well Noriko! Please come join us for a drink or two. Maybe you could even accompany us on a tour? I mean, all celebration gets better with female company."

Ursa frowned slightly. Was it possible that… But no. She couldn't risk getting banned from one of her favourite haunts. She shook her head regretfully and indicated the barman with a look.

"No thanks. I'm sure it would be enjoyable, but that kind of behaviour is frowned upon at the Orchid Bar and Restaurant. I'm afraid I'm going to have to turn your offer down."

As she readied herself to rise and head back out into the street, the young man shook his head desperately.

"No! Don't leave! Hang on, I know just the solution! Just stay here! Promise!"

"All right." With a sigh, Ursa repositioned herself on the barstool and let the fur jacket slide down her shoulders far enough to reveal the pearly white skin of her naked arms. Bored, she emptied her glass and lit another tobacco stick.

"Hello. I'm Rano. Pleased to meet you…"

Ursa sighed. "Noriko. I'm very happy to meet you, Rano." Oh no, she wasn't going to help him out by asking how she could assist him.

This one was clearly Fire nation, with longish black hair, amber eyes and a lean chiselled face. Girls probably considered him handsome, even swoon worthy. Well, Ursa had left that stage behind. Her eyes travelled to something that to her was far more interesting than his face: his clothes.

Hm. Decidedly expensive. The black and gold shirt and red trousers were made of top quality fabrics and bore the look of an established and overpriced fashion designer. The boots looked custom made, of soft and supple leather. On top of it all was a neatly tailored black coat with satin piping, nicely fitted around the torso and somewhat flared below, with a tiny standup collar. Current fashion. That couldn't have cost the young man less than 50 000 bao. Her eyes flew up to his face again.

And there it was. The resemblance to the portrait behind the counter, disregarding the scar of course. This young man's face was narrower than the face in the portrait. His eyes were smaller and had a decidedly cold and calculating look to them. Still, in that moment she was hooked.

"Well Noriko, my friends and I would be very happy if you'd join us at our table. And then, maybe accompany us for a night out on town? Unless you're otherwise occupied of course."

Smooth young bastard. Postponing the answer, Ursa inclined her head slightly in the barman's direction. The young man gave her an arrogant but reassuring smile.

"The barman? Oh, don't you worry about him. My father rents a permanent suite at the Blue Flame Inn. Everyone knows who I am here. He won't make any trouble, I promise."

Arrogant little sod. As the young man leaned in to engage the barman in conversation and hand him a discreet but sizeable tip, Ursa's mind was occupied with calculating costs and assessing risks. Contrary to what she'd told the Manager, she'd always been good with numbers. That part of her was as functional as ever. Except possibly, her sense of judgement might be somewhat befuddled by the peach bubbly.

 _They all look rich enough to pay at least 10 000 bao for a ride, regardless of the specifics. But youths that age are really unpredictable. Also, there are several of them. Two of them I could handle. But six? Damnit, I don't have any safety precautions… Then again, if I could pull that off, I could return to the Fire Lotus to show the Manager that I had cleared at least a tenth of the sum he claims I owe him in one night. Why, he'd…_

"Let's go get seated at our table, shall we?" The young man offered her his arm as politely as if they'd attended a State Ball at the Fire Nation Court.

"By all means." With a tiny nod, Ursa was off the barstool, hand resting on his arm, being escorted to the corner table. Five pairs of curious eyes met hers.

 _Spirits! They're younger than I thought! I doubt any of them has reached his twentieth birthday. They must hail from influential families for that barman to serve them and put up with them causing havoc and scaring his customers away. This Rano guy in particular. Hm, that name reminds me of something. I wonder…?_

"Noriko, this is Zako, Shiro, Laon, Arah and Nolin. Guys! Please let me introduce Noriko. She's kindly offered to keep us company tonight."

"Pleased to meet you, gentlemen." Ursa sat down in a politely proffered chair, leaning back comfortably but keeping her regal posture. As she crossed her long legs, the hemline of her purple dress rode up to show a significant amount of naked thigh. Divesting herself of her fur jacket, she stuck her chest out provocatively and tilted her dark head to one side.

"So, you boys are on a break? Why, I'm sure that must be well earned after studying so hard. How do you spend all that free time then?"

On her left, Rano was pouring her another fluted glass of soft peach bubbly. From around the table, greedy eyes ogled her breasts and legs. Some of the youths were whispering amongst themselves. Others were blushing and sniggering. Sipping her peach bubbly, Ursa ignored their inane chatter and allowed herself to be stripped naked and examined in hot fervent male minds. As for herself, she was calculating numbers.

 _All right. So 10 000 bao each would be an acceptable price, I guess. Mixed samples of all the usual stuff. These guys are probably too young to have developed any particular perversions or special kinks so far. Still, they do look like they have the assets to fork out more cash. And there's the risk aspect of taking them on all at once, of course. I mean, I've done larger groups than this. But that was at the Fire Lotus, under strict security conditions. This is a high risk venture. So, I think…_

"Noriko!" Somebody mentioning her pseudonym recalled Ursa abruptly to reality.

"Yes?"

"Do you think you would be interested in spending the remainder of the night with us? I mean, we do have a lot to offer."

Laon, the brown-haired youth who'd first approached her at the bar. Also, had he just attempted to strike a deal with her? Ursa frowned.

On her left, the dark-haired Rano leaned forward to slide his fingers up over her arm and catch her hand in his. His thumb was caressing her palm.

"Noriko, what Laon means isn't that you go on a party spree with us. I'm sure you'd find that a complete waste of time. But like I told you, my father rents a permanent suite here at the hotel for entertaining his business partners. So, we were wondering if you'd care to accompany us up there for some more drinks and fun?"

Ursa shook her head. "No."

The young man's eyebrows went up on surprise. "No?" A look of understanding dawned on his face. "Ah, I'm sorry! How remiss of me. Of course, you will be amply compensated. Don't worry. We have the means."

 _Words aren't cash, baby. I'll believe it when I see it._

Ursa's eyes were yellow diamonds. Hard and bright.

"I'll need the specifics. You want me to _entertain_ the six of you, is that it?"

"Well, yes. That would be the general idea."

She nodded briskly. "Okay. I'll do it. On one condition. Everything needs to be settled in advance. It helps avoid confusion. Agreed?"

The youth nodded, somewhat overcome by her businesslike approach.

A quick glance ensured that the barman was out of earshot. "All right. I'll entertain all six of you. All the usual stuff goes. Oral, vaginal, anal. Breastplay too if anyone's into that. I'll have no spitting, no watersports, no scat and no putting visible marks on me. No bondage or restrictions of any kind. I need to know that I'm free to leave whenever I want to. Okay?"

Another, somewhat stunned nod.

"Okay, so I'll give all of you time to finish. Since this is a package deal, you may go for as many times as you can manage. Although I do expect to be able to leave by sunrise at the latest."

Stares and nods from all around the table.

The dark haired youth, Roan, was squeezing her hand with some urgency. The young man on her right side was grinning wolfishly and running a hand up her thigh.

"All right. Of course! Let's go then!"

Ursa remained immobile.

"Wait. Not so fast. Haven't you boys forgotten something? Something _important?_ All good things come with a price. And I'm good, believe me. I'm excellent. In fact, you couldn't find anyone better suited for the task. So it's 100 000 bao for the lot of you."

Stunned stares, shocked exclamations. Next to her, the Fire Nation boy who resembled her son took a deep breath and committed the one unacceptable faux pas. He attempted to haggle.

"Now Noriko, I'm sure you're amazing and I can't wait to try out your talents for myself, but isn't that a little steep? I mean 60 000 bao I'd understand, but 100 000?"

Ursa shook her head. "No. 100 000 it is. 100 000 or nothing. The price is non-negotiable."

The youth, spoiled Fire Nation aristocrat as he no doubt must be, recognized a lost battle when he saw one. Also, he clearly had the requested sum at his disposal.

"All right, guys! Just hand over 12 000 bao each. I'll cover for the rest."

As rolls of cash found their way surreptitiously around the table to end up in Ursa's secret fur coat pocket stash, a wild sense of elation filled her. Yes! She's managed to pull off the greatest deal imaginable. Now all that remained was fulfilling her part of it. In spite of years of experience she felt… was that a tiny twinge of dread running through her?

As she rose and took the arm of the young man who resembled her son, Ursa suddenly realized the terrible truth.

She was nervous.

The young man leaned down to whisper in her ear. "Don't worry. We'll keep you busy until sunrise. I promise you won't be bored."

* * *

Compared to the Fire Nation Royal Palace, the suite was really nothing special. Compared to the average neat and clean Yu Dao Inn quarters, it was shockingly luxurious. Entering the main room, Ursa noted with approval that the floor was covered with soft plush carpets. A large fancy glass table, leather sofas and armchairs strategically placed. Soft muted lights, furnishings in warm colours. A tall glass drinking cabinet covered part of the left wall, while over to the right, at the far end of the room, was the entrance to what appeared to be a bedroom.

The black haired youth was inviting some of his cronies to serve themselves from the drinking cabinet. When he turned to Ursa, she noticed that his pupils were dilated and his cheeks flushed with arousal.

"Drink?"

"No thanks." She shook her head firmly. She needed to be in full control of her mind and senses to handle this situation in the best possible way.

The other youths were seating themselves in the leather couches surrounding the room. Although the air of excitement was palpable, a few of them looked somewhat shy and embarrassed. Well, a situation like this was bound to elicit that kind of reaction in some people.

Roan turned to Ursa. "So, how do you want to do this? The bedroom's right over there to the right. You want to move in there straight away? Maybe do a little striptease for the boys and me?"

Ursa shook her head. "No. Right here will do fine."

"On the floor!?"

"Yep. This will be more practical. You'll see."

The floor was covered in sumptuous carpeting. On top of this, in front of the glass table, was a huge white pelt from some kind of animal, possibly a giant polar bear. That would do nicely.

"Also, don't expect me to do a strip routine. I'm not a dancing girl. Not a stage person. I'm sure you'll be able to do without it."

Removing her fur jacket, she placed it neatly in a nearby armchair. Then came the slinky purple dress, pulled up over her head to reveal her nude body. The six youths stared in awe at the ripe globes of her breasts, the pearly white skin and her shaved sex. All right. Why not humour them a bit?

Ursa did a little twirl and stopped to pose from behind, sticking out her shapely buttocks at them. Then she reached down agilely to touch her toes, spreading ever so slightly in the process to display her moist pink pussy to advantage. That caused some audible exclamations and some tearing noises, possibly denoting clothes being removed by over eager hands. With a tiny smile, Ursa leaned down to unzip her boots.

"Wait!"

The black haired youth who resembled her son had removed his coat, shirt and boots and was down to his trousers.

"Keep your boots and stockings on, will you? They're hot!"

Ursa shook her head regretfully. "No can do, sorry. If it were just you and me in a one-on-one, sure, I'd do it. But wearing anything at all in this kind of situation won't work. Things are bound to get messy, and I don't want my clothes ruined. Sorry."

With that, she placed her boots neatly underneath the armchair containing the rest of her clothes. Unrolling her red fishnets, she crowned the heap with them and turned to face the young men naked. In fact, she wasn't the only nude one in the room. Seeing Ursa undressing had made them shed their shyness and their clothes. Now they were approaching her tentatively, seemingly uncertain about how to begin.

"Good." Ursa nodded approvingly, making sure to add a flirtatious smile. "Now, how about if I kneel on this here bear pelt and give the lot of you a good blow job? If anyone wants to do me from behind at the same time, please feel free to move in."

Smiling invitingly, she knelt on the polar bear pelt and made sure to spread her legs properly. This caused some kind of stir throughout the group of youths. Suddenly, a whole bouquet of erect cocks in various sizes bloomed before her face. Very pretty. Not bothering to check the face or identity of either of the owners, Ursa took one of them in an expert grasp and sucked it deep into her moist hot mouth, milking the base while her full lips slid up and down the stalk. With her left hand, she reached out and caught another erect member, rubbing it vigorously in timing with her bobbing her head up and down the first one. Cocks were poking at her from everywhere, slapping her cheeks and head and shoulders, demanding her attention. Moving from one to the other, she tried to make sure that everyone got their fair share of deepthroat heaven. The salty taste of precum on her tongue testified to a job well done. When one of them buried his hands in her hair and shoved his erect dick into her mouth, thrusting and moaning, she was there to catch the salty spill of semen, swallowing it down diligently and rewarding the youth in question, whose name she'd completely forgotten, with a wide-eyed, adoring golden glance.

 _Well, one down, five to go. Except these youngsters know how to get it up again in a flash. That one won't be disarmed for long._

When the first cock entered her from behind, it took her by surprise. Suddenly two hot hands made their presence known on her hips, anchoring them securely as a deep thrust buried it balls deep in her wet pussy. Dripping wet, in fact. As the unknown youth behind her set up a quick rhythm of determined beats into her core, Ursa realized that the situation was in fact making her horny. The deep steady thrusts reverberated inside her, causing a steady flow of pleasurable sensations, making her suck harder at the dick currently knocking at the back of her throat. Balls were slapping her chin. Greedy hands were tugging at her breasts, fondling them and twirling her nipples. Cocks were coming at her from all angles, demanding that she touch and rub and suck them. Concentrating on her work, Ursa found her attention jumping from the pleasurable sensations radiating from her pussy, caused by the serious ploughing she was receiving from behind, and the task of sucking yet another cock into a state where its owner either had to withdraw to save up for further delights from her other orifices, or shoot its hot load in her eager mouth. At the same time she attempted to keep her left hand busy, rubbing and stroking any member that poked into it with vigour.

All in all, it was a very frustrating experience. Frustrating and exciting.

An increased speed of thrusts and a last push deep inside her as the unknown youth who'd been fucking her from behind unloaded. Pulling out of her with an audible slurping noise, he left her gaping wide and screaming internally for more.

 _Spirits, people! Where's your sense of initiative? Don't you see that… OH!_

Another cock, decidedly thicker than the first, entered unceremoniously to take its place. A steady pounding beat, big hands around her waist pulling her decisively down to meet each forceful stroke. Electric currents of sensation were running down her buttocks and thighs, causing her to moan audibly.

 _Ah! That's-_

The momentary loss of concentration caused her to almost gag as the youth she was sucking pushed his member further into her mouth. Faltering, she collected herself briefly and resumed bobbing her head up and down it while sucking it vigorously.

 _Damnit, Ursa! You're here to work, not to enjoy yourself! Remember what the Manager said! This is work, not play!_

As if to sabotage her thoughts, the stranger penetrating her from behind took the opportunity to unleash a veritable barrage of thrusts that shook her very core. Unable to focus, Ursa opened her mouth and cried out, releasing the cock she'd currently been fellating. At least she had the sense to keep stroking it vigorously with her right hand as she came intensely, clutching the member currently fucking her in heartfelt delight while moaning enthusiastically, coming and flying apart all over the place. The two cocks in her hands rewarded her by ejaculating simultaneously, one all over her face and the other on her breasts. The youth fucking her from behind buried himself in her as if attempting to split her in half, flooding her core with hot cum.

Now one thing that had always astounded Ursa about gangbangs was how soon after a collective discharge such as this, new people would be ready to jump into place. As she stayed in place on her knees, a succession of cocks would push and thrust into her, always to an enthusiastic welcome. Ursa simply enjoyed being ploughed roughly from behind. She was also relishing the attention that people were paying her breasts, squeezing, fondling and pinching them, tugging at her erect nipples. At one point, one of the more agile youths actually slid down under her to reach up and suck and bite her breasts. By the time the ringleader, the boy who resembled her son so closely, called things to a halt, she'd managed to have a second orgasm and also received the annoying gift of a loadful of sticky cum in her hair.

"All right! This position's getting boring. Let's flip her on her back."

She'd clearly lost control of the situation. On the other hand, she was enjoying herself thoroughly. Which she knew from experience was a dangerous standpoint, business wise. On her back on the soft white pelt, she spread her legs wide, opening up completely to invite the dark haired youth in as he kind of fell over her, piercing her to the core as if attempting to cleave her in half. A very energetic lover with a larger than average sized cock, he thrust into her determinedly and with remarkable stamina. For a brief moment, Ursa's eyes lingered on his face, with black hair falling into his eyes. An unpleasant thought shot through her, causing her to flinch and attempt to pull away automatically. A futile movement, seeing that he had her hips locked in a firm grasp and was banging away at her tender pussy as if possessed by spirits. Besides, she didn't have time to contemplate that for long. Hot hands were pinching and tugging at her nipples, erect cocks were being slapped against her shoulders, cheeks and head, and then someone just caught hold of her hair and plunged himself into her mouth, demanding to be sucked. Of course, there was no way she could refuse. Although lying on one's back is hardly ideal for giving a blowjob, she did her best, attention straying all the while to the thorough ploughing searing her pussy. When at last she came, in an almost painful orgasm, she sucked the glans of the dick in her mouth intensely, causing its owner to cry out and gush into her mouth. Luckily, this time she managed to swallow down every single drop.

A succession of more cocks banging away at her cunt. More cocks to suck and rub, floods of semen to swallow. Ursa was fairly certain that by now, every single one of the six young men had fucked her pussy thoroughly and received several blowjobs. So far, nothing out of the ordinary had occurred.

A short break ensued. Someone considerately handed her a glass of water. Ursa rose to her knees to gulp it down thirstily. Although the fresh chilly drink eased her parched throat somewhat, the salty taste of semen remained stuck to her palate. Someone threw her a towel to wipe the sticky dried cum of her skin as could best be managed. While the young men refreshed themselves with drinks over by the leather couches, laughing and telling rowdy jokes, she stumbled to her feet to search her fur jacket for a comb to try to sort out the mess that was her hair. She was worried to notice that somehow, her clothes had managed to end up scattered on the floor. Checking her hidden pocket stash quickly, she noted with a sigh of relief that all the money was still there. Well, that was the most important thing.

A quick check in the compact mirror revealed that her makeup was completely gone. Considering the circumstances, that was to be expected. The dried substance in her hair resisted every valiant attempt to comb it out. With a sigh, she settled for untangling as much as she could and leaving the rest for her bath once she got back to the Fire Lotus. A bath and a massage. A…

Outside the windows the sky remained dark, reminding her that sunrise was far from there.

"Won't you join us for a drink, Noriko? Roan's opened a bottle of peach wine for you." Laon, the youth who had initially approached her at the bar counter, had sneaked up behind her to offer her a fluted glass.

The irony of the situation wasn't lost on Ursa. All right, so she'd won the first round and then they'd turned the tables on her. But she wasn't down for the count yet, far from it. Stashing her fur jacket discreetly behind a leather armchair, she shot the youth a radiant smile and pushed her ample chest out at him. His eyes went down to her breasts automatically. She plucked the glass nimbly from his hand.

"Why, _of course!_ A glass of peach wine would be divine. Oh, you've kept this seat for me? Why thank you!"

Strangely enough, her composure and ladylike behaviour appeared to strike some kind of basic respect in the six youths. At least enough to allow them to make room for her to be seated at the centre of a leather sofa, surrounded by them all as if she were a queen. Well, for a tiny moment Ursa allowed herself to relax and imagine things that way. In fact, they were all ogling her like a pack of wolves in heat, ready to pounce on their prey at any moment. As she enjoyed her second and third glass of peach bubbly (well earned, and also well needed in order to prepare for what looked like round two), the two youths on either side of her were running hot hands up her thighs and reaching over in order to fondle and play with their breasts. Well used to this kind of situation from the Fire Lotus' open nights, Ursa just raised her arms slightly to allow them better access. Sipping her drink, she attempted to regain her bearings on the situation somewhat.

The ringleader, Roan, fixed her from the other side of the glass table with bright gold Fire Nation eyes.

"So Noriko, how are you finding our company?"

"Very enjoyable so far." She inclined her head as graciously as if she'd been seated on the Fire Lady's Royal Throne. The youth on her right had started rubbing her clit with slow insistent movements, while the one on the left was cupping her breasts in his hands and toying with her nipples. A pleasant heat rose up through her body.

"I'm glad to hear it. Now, if I remember correctly, these were you definitions of the entertainment that you would provide for us tonight. 'All the usual stuff goes. Oral, vaginal, anal. Breastplay too. No spitting, no watersports, no scat and no putting visible marks on me. No bondage or restrictions of any kind.' Is that correct?"

The drink and the insistent caresses were causing ripples of heat to rise up through her body.

"Yes."

"Good. I just wanted to check that we're on the level. Well Noriko, it seems that Laon has an idea for how to do the second round of this. Don't worry, it's totally playing according to your rules."

"Of course." Ursa drew a deep breath, downed her glass of sparkly peach wine and sat up. "I'm ready. What did you have in mind?"

Back to the polar bear pelt it was. She didn't even have to walk that far on her own accord. Instead, the two young men on each side of her just lifted her out of the seat with a joint effort and propelled her forward. When they reached the soft white fur, one of the youths was already spread out there, stroking his erection. By the girth of it, Ursa identified it as belonging to the second one to fuck her from behind at the outset, the first one to bring her to orgasm. Examining his body as she straddled him, automatically knowing what was expected of her, she noted that he was of a somewhat stocky but muscular build. Built for stamina. Okay. This, she certainly didn't mind.

She took the thick throbbing member in one hand and gave it a series of soft insistent strokes. Deciding to offer the other clients a bit of a show, she supported herself on one arm and leaned back, rubbing the large glans up and down her slit, making sure to stimulate her most sensitive areas. Then she leaned forward and took the young man's shoulders in a firm grasp for support. The sensations of impaling herself on the thick instrument made her gasp audibly. Spirits, this was a good one! The kind of client that she'd let off for free whenever they visited her at the Fire Lotus. With closed eyes and a tiny smile of satisfaction, she started raising and lowering herself on the deliciously thick organ. A voice recalled her to reality.

"Noriko? Why, I can see that you're already getting into our next scenario. Well, Nolin here has the best stamina of all of us, and also he really loves to be buried balls deep in your pussy, so he'll be playing that part for a while. The rest of us will just improvise. I mean, your blowjobs are the best. Okay?"

Woozy with pleasure, Ursa opened her eyes to look into the amused green ones of the cocky Earth Kingdom boy who'd first approached her at the bar. Laon, was it? Beneath her, the youth apparently called Nolin had moved his hands from her hips to the succulence of her breasts. Really, she was in no state to argue.

"Okay. I… I mean whatever. I'll take care of the rest of you as best I can."

"Good." Had she imagined it, or had the brown haired youth actually shot off a "thumbs up!" sign to his buddies before moving out of eyesight?

She didn't have time to ponder that for long. An erect cock appeared in her field of vision, demanding attention while hands buried themselves in her long hair to pull her head up. Two more cocks surrounded the first. Opening her mouth automatically, Ursa reached up to rub the stalk as she gradually worked the swollen erection into her mouth. By now, she was doing it by reflex, attempting to get her performance conscious mind to acquiesce to a more mellow state where she allowed awareness of sensations in her whole body to co-exist. Yep, it seemed to be working. Her cunt clutched hungrily at the joystick impaling it, shedding copious moisture. She was sucking greedily at a dick and fondling the balls while rubbing a second penis with her other hand. Ah, this was getting better and better!

The fingers rubbing her backdoor opening attempting to slip in playfully took her completely by surprise.

 _Anal! Of course! Someone was bound to want to try it. It's lucky I took a thorough cleansing this morning. But…_

"Mhm!"

A muffled cry as someone behind her entered her tiny butthole, widening it forcefully. All right, so that old man who was her previous client had already broken into it, paving the way. Here, the sensations were softer, more insidious, indicating that the person wanting a buttfuck had taken the precaution to oil her up and also used some lubricants on himself before attempting to enter. But considering the sizeable cock already striking up into her from below, it was a snug fit. Ursa whimpered, pushing her shapely ass upwards towards her assailant. A sudden lunge and shove from the youth beneath her left her breathless, unable to focus. The cock she was sucking had reached throat level, providing an effective gag. Continuing on its chosen path, the youth entering her butt made a sudden lunge to bury his member balls deep in her rectum. Hot hard hands held her hips effectively locked in place. Two cocks began to move inside her, synchronizing their movements so that one of them pierced her, the other one retreated. The sensations from the alternate thrusts were pulling at the most sensitive tissue of her body, driving her out of her mind. Someone was sucking and nibbling at her breasts and nipples. The swollen member knocked insistently at the back of her throat. Something soft and hard and living kept rubbing itself against her left hand.

Ursa made a muffled cry and came, spasming and clutching the two cocks penetrating her in tight muscular cramps. For a brief moment, she almost blanked out. When she regained her senses, she noticed that the youth underneath her had slowed his movements to a calmer, slower pace. No doubt in order to preserve his erection and prevent himself from coming prematurely. On the other hand, the one penetrating her ass had begun to really bang away at her, sliding out between each stroke and apparently taking real pleasure from lunging forward to bury himself inside her forcibly widened butthole every time it attempted to close itself. Each thrust caused Ursa to cry out, filled with sensations that she couldn't even name. After some time of thoroughly exploring this, the youth in question (she could bet it was that cheeky sod Laon) began to really pound her, going at it as if attempting to insert himself permanently up her butt. Thoroughly skewered at each end, mercilessly ploughed, Ursa lost herself again and came in a long noisy orgasm that caused the muscles of her legs to twitch uncontrollably and hot liquid to shoot out of her sex. Simultaneously, the youth she was fellating lost control and sprayed a shockfull of cum down her throat. Pure reflex made her swallow every single drop.

Ah spirits, she was gone.

With a crescendo of thrusts, the youth fucking her backdoor opening unloaded noisily, filling her with hot slimey goo. Pulling out of her with a slurping sound, he left room for the chill air to cool the burning sensations of her forcibly widened butthole. Not for long.

The next cock took his place and was banging away at her ass in about 15 seconds flat. With a little sigh. Ursa allowed herself to accommodate the realization of what was happening: They were running a train on her butt that would probably not come to a halt until everyone had unloaded at least twice. Well, there was absolutely nothing to do but to submit and enjoy it. What choice did she have? It was all in the initial deal. She'd agreed to it and taken the money for it. The large cock shooting in and out of her butthole, piercing her with enthusiasm and energy, was enough testimony of that. With a little cry of pleasure she submitted, pushing her ass back at him, inviting further, harder penetration. The cock pistoning up into her cunt from below kept thrusting upward interminably. Each time someone came in her mouth or throat after a blowjob, somebody new would take his place.

After a while, she began to notice a different pattern: rather than cumming in her mouth, her young clients would pull out prematurely and rise to…

Of course. The seemingly endless queue of young men raring to bang her ass and shoot their loads in it had a connection to the somewhat lessened demand, not for blowjobs, but to cum in her mouth. But also several of them seemed to pull out before the crucial moment, in order too…

All right. If they were running a train on her, it was a circular track where whenever someone grew tired of receiving a blowjob and wanted something a bit more exciting, they'd just pull out and move down to bust her ass. And vice versa, whenever anyone grew tired of ploughing her butt or wanted to avoid cumming just yet, they'd move up to her mouth to stand in line for a blow job.

Luckily, she'd made sure to clean up thoroughly before hitting the streets. Not that she'd expected to encounter a situation like this, but it was always good to be prepared.

Except there's always that unknown factor, the one that ends up screwing up all your carefully laid out plans.

In this case, it came in the form of an overeager young male voice, somewhat slurred and no doubt affected by alcohol.

"Hey Laon! Stop monopolizing her butt! Or if you're going to stay in there banging away at her for hours, at least allow room for one more!"

 _What?_

Caught up in her private world of all consuming sensations, Ursa twitched and attempted to turn her head. Entirely impossible, since her head was firmly locked by two male hands and a long thick member stuck in her mouth and throat. However, the sensations that followed had her reeling, almost collapsing forward over the youth who was still diligently fucking her seeping pussy.

"Ah! What the…" The words were muffled by the erection in her mouth, gushing forth a loadful of semen and leaving her no choice but to swallow it all. It was replaced by the next one so quickly and so seamlessly that she didn't even get the time to cry out and comment at what was happening at her rear end. As a second cock joined the first in forcibly expanding the entrance to her butthole, she heard male laughter ringing in her ears.

"Oh wow. I always wanted to try this. I never in my life thought I'd come upon a whore who was willing to try it. And with a boner up her cunt as well! Ah, now she's well and truly stuffed!"

Another muffled cry. A long visible tremble ran through Ursa's body. Tiny beds of sweat covered her pale marble skin.

"Don't get used to rubbing dicks with me like this, Shiro. Let's just consider this an experiment, okay?"

"Okay, Laon! Now, in unison?"

Ursa was seeing stars. Quite literally. The world and her body was splitting in half, filled with thrusting cocks and bare skin rubbing against hers and greedy hands toying with her breasts. The steady ramming in her butthole alternated with the neverending thrusts from the boy underneath her, who was truly keeping up his duty diligently and with relish. She couldn't focus properly on giving blowjobs anymore, which resulted in yet another shower of cum in her face. Supporting herself on her elbows, she allowed herself to let go of her body completely and came in a massive tidal wave of something so pleasurable and painful that it just didn't have a name. Her whole body was spasming and shaking. Collapsing forward over the youth underneath her, she was vaguely aware of grunts and groans of lust issuing from her rear end. Hot sweaty hands kept holding her down while the three cocks pounding her increased their tempo to a crescendo. Cries and moans as the three young men came simultaneously, perfectly timed, creaming inside her butthole and vagina.

As they withdrew from her, woozy and spent, Ursa attempted to sit up and regain her bearings. She felt a desperate need to get cleaned up and have a drink of anything liquid to rinse her throat. Through the large floor to ceiling windows, she could see the sky turning a lighter blue. Sunrise was approaching. Several of the youths were heading off to what was presumably some kind of bathing facility. Others were pouring themselves drinks and collapsing back into the next available seat. Ursa attempted to rise. A hand on her shoulder pushed her down on her back again.

"Not so fast. You promised to entertain very single one of us until sunrise or until the last of us couldn't get it up anymore. Well, the sun hasn't risen yet, and I still have a hardon. So, whore, do your thing and spread!"

Roan, of course. The ringleader, the one who resembled her son the Fire Lord so closely as to be almost but not quite a copy of him. Pushing Ursa back onto the fortunately white, thoroughly cum stained polar bear pelt, he pierced her pussy with a single thrust. Then, he was up and moving.

"You know, Noriko, for a whore you're really not half bad. Now, I'll admit it. I didn't think you'd manage to handle all of us. Yet, here you are, still servicing us in the best way there is. My hat's off to you. I'm impressed."

Ursa frowned. She was beginning to get sore, and tired too. And here was this young pup who had the gall to patronize her. All right, so his insistent thrusting was still somewhat pleasurable, in spite of the increasing soreness. Instinctively, she clenched her muscles around his cock and stared into his eyes, opening her full lips and licking them, then forming a pout. The young man took one look at her and shivered, caught up in the deep clutches of her sex. Then, he pulled out quickly and raised her by an arm underneath her hips.

"No! I'm not finished yet! And I'm not going to come in your pussy! I'm going to unload right here!"

Of course. Another bloody one who got off on cumming in her butt. As his member entered her well used butthole, Ursa barely flinched. Instead, she raised her long legs automatically and draped them over his shoulders. "Whore's reflexes", her husband had once called these instinctive moves of hers. Not that he'd minded at the time, of course. As the young man who resembled her son so closely battered into her well used backdoor opening, she smiled sweetly at him, caught his lower arms in her hands for leverage and brought herself down to meet him thrust by thrust. She was damned if she was going to let herself be bested by an arrogant brat.

Of course, the move had the desired effect. Instant orgasm. Whimpering with pleasure, the young man spent himself in Ursa's backdoor opening (spirits knew how many had done that tonight), then collapsed forward with his sweaty countenance on her ample chest. Ursa allowed him to lie like that for a while, until his agitated heartbeats gradually slowed down to normal. She was stroking his back softly, reminding herself all the while that this youngster was nothing like her son at all. This one needed to be taught a lesson.

As he sat up, she extricated herself quickly, collected her belongings and hurried off into the bathing facility. Of course, there was no hot bath awaiting her, but at least enough cold fresh water available to clean herself up somewhat. She realized with a grimace that she'd probably have to ask the Manager for a day's sick leave in order to recover. And the clotted cum stains in her hair still resisted any attempt at removal. Trying to salvage her hairdo nevertheless, she quickly braided her long dark hair into a neat side plait. Having washed herself and powdered her face, she pulled on her stockings, dress and boots.

Hm. As she searched the inner pockets of her fur jacket, retrieving her earnings to hide them in one of her leather boots, inspiration struck. An evil smile curled former Fire Lady Ursa's lips.

Exiting the bathing facility with the fur jacket nonchalantly slung over her shoulder, she entered the main room area to stop and regard the six youths with a wry grin. The first rays of sunset illuminated the room with a near magical golden glow.

"Well gentlemen, thanks for tonight. I'm sure you all agree with me when I say that tonight was truly a blast. Thank you so much for inviting me. But now, I really have to go. Except for one tiny detail."

Her golden eyes sharpened, nailing Roan, the young ringleader of the six, to the leather sofa. The young man was wearing his red pants and nothing else, enjoying what looked like an unhealthily strong drink.

"You. Come over here. I want a word."

The low but authoritative tone made him stir and raise his eyebrows. With a theatrically deep sigh and a shrug directed at his gang of buddies, he rose from his seat and approached her with a studiously bored look on his handsome young face.

"Yes? What is it? You've already had your money. You want my address perhaps? Or my family name? Or maybe a date? Well, don't bother. I have girls throwing themselves at me every single day. I can pick and choose. And let me tell you lady, you're not even my fiftieth choice. More like in the late six hundreds."

Annoyingly derisive giggles rose from the youths in the background. Ursa, however, was impervious to scorn. She planted her hands on her hips and regarded him with an amused smirk.

"You know, it's funny you should mention your family name. It's not as secret as you think."

"What?" The young man started slightly.

"Yes. I thought I recognized the name "Roan". A very unusual Fire Nation name, but one that usually pops up in one family of significance in particular. Kouen. Isn't it quite a coincidence that the Fire Lord's longtime Financial Advisor is named Roan Kouen, just like you?" She smiled sweetly.

The young man paled significantly and backed off a few steps involunterily. "You… You're completely mistaken. My family name's not Kouen." Behind his back, his friends exchanged worried glances.

Ursa tilted her head to one side and regarded him benevolently. "Well, isn't that lucky then? Just imagine what Financial Advisor Kouen would do if he discovered that his son and heir was using his business suite for entertaining prostitutes?"

Beads of sweat were forming on the young man's brow. "What… what do you want? We already paid you more than any whore in known existence. Now what? You're saying you want more, or you'll inform my father?" His fists were clenching and unclenching.

Ursa beamed at him. "Not at all. I only want one thing. Your coat."

"My _what?_ The young man's eyes widened to saucer like proportions.

"You heard me."

Reaching over nimbly, Ursa picked up the tailored black designer coat, slung carelessly over the armrest of a leather armchair. The material felt just as smooth and soft against her hands as she'd imagined. Pulling it on over her purple dress and buttoning it carefully, she found that it was expertly cut, with a smooth silk lining and several hidden safety pockets. Just perfect for her purposes. Although the top was somewhat too big for her, that just added to a sense of slouchy cool. The flared lower part flattered her hips, and the deep slit up front revealed just enough glimpse of leg. It just needed…

Reaching out towards one of the piles of clothes carelessly strewn around the floor, she pulled out a black leather belt with a discreet black metal buckle and attached it tightly around her waist. There. Neatly cinched. She smoothed her long dark braid down over her shoulder. Then, she threw her black fur jacket at Roan the ringleader. He caught it automatically in midair to stare at her in something akin to shock.

"Here. Let no one tell you that I'm stingy. I wouldn't want you to catch a cold on your way home. So, it's a trade. A coat for a coat. Or rather, a fur jacket. Ah, don't be shy! By all means, try it on! Pretty boy like you, it'll suit you perfectly."

A breezy smile bathed the six young men in all the radiance and glory of the former Fire Lady.

"Farewell, gentlemen! Noriko of the Fire Lotus wishes you a continued happy celebration of your mid term break!"

By the time they'd managed to recover their slack jaws, Ursa was already clicking down the stairs to the lobby in a smattering of high heels. In passing the doorman, she blasted him with the same radiant smile and handed him another 500 bao tip. It didn't do to be stingy.

* * *

The sun shone in her eyes, blinding Ursa and gilding the streets as well as the houses on either side of them a fresh light gold. In this light, even overturned trashcans spilling offal all over the street looked like they were made out of pure, magical gold. It was a warm, balmy morning, with a light breeze just cool enough to ease the brows of the men busy unloading their goods at the market. As Ursa passed, no one awarded her as much as a glance, except for a couple of enterprising vendors who had managed to get their stalls loaded already and were offering her, respectively, fire flakes, fresh platypusbear eggs and cabbages at a discount.

In passing, Ursa just smiled and shook her head. She was light of mind and springy of step. In spite of the overheated, throbbing sensation that issued forth from her nether regions, heralding that she needed a day of absolute rest and probably the application of some kind of soothing herbal ointment, she felt pleased. The weather was sunny, she'd earned a whopping 113,500 bao (save some minor expenses) and her current getup was the perfect disguise to allow her to pass through the City unmolested, without attracting catcalls or contemptuous looks. She allowed herself to let go and feel a bit lighthearted.

She kept walking down her chosen path, turning at street corners automatically without paying much attention. She knew this way by rote.

Or at least so she thought. Staring at the curiously quiet conglomerate of buildings large and small, she realized where her treacherous feet had carried her.

 _The Red Light District._

No. Just no. She didn't need to turn any more tricks this morning. Last night had been prosperous enough. She just wanted to get home, to bathe and wash her hair and then collapse into sweet dreamless sleep among down-filled silk duvets and pillows.

Coming to a halt in the street before the tight conglomerate of buildings, Ursa considered her options. So, the Red Light District was actually reputed to be a much more dangerous place during the day than at night, full of criminal gangs doing their shady deals and erupting into flash streetfights. These would be over as soon as they started, leaving their victims bloodied and wounded in the street until they either got up on their own accord or someone carted them away. The Yu Dao police never ventured into the Red Light District in the daytime. Neither did the Fire Brigades, or indeed anyone representing organized law and authority. At night, people could mingle there freely, provided that they adhered to one single rule:

You visit the Red Light District to buy or sell something. What type or kind of goods doesn't matter. Drugs, bodies, acts, information, anything goes. If you enter for any other purpose you are, as the Fire Nation saying goes, fried.

Now, Ursa herself had visited the Red Light District once or twice at the outset of her new career. When she'd been naïve and known absolutely noting about the business. While that had resulted in some very good learning experiences, it wasn't anything that she was keen on repeating. But all right. Since it was morning, the sex trade would be taking a hiatus while the workers slept and recuperated from last night's work. So, the chances were that she could pass through there quickly, thus making a shortcut that would save her some extra fifty tortuous minutes of walking back to the Fire Lotus.

On the other hand, she was carrying over 100 000 bao in cash on her person… A light shiver of dread ran through her.

Decisions, decisions. She just felt too damn tired to deal with them at this point. She just needed her sleep. So, all right!

Taking the plunge, she choose the nearest street leading into the Red Light District and dived into it at a determined pace.

The architecture of the place was certainly interesting. Sections of solidly built stone houses with a blunt, squarish look alternated with ancient rickety wood constructions looming precariously over the dark narrow streets. The slum areas with their makeshift sheds were few and far between. Indeed, in the daytime, the Red Light district didn't look that different from its neighbouring areas. Except for one thing. The eerie sense of quiet and stillness that pervaded the place. The few residents that Ursa encountered on her journey scurried quickly down the streets as if appearing to blend into the architecture, and apparently possessed a magical ability to disappear into any crack in plaster or woodwork, or down dark unexpected alleyways so narrow as to almost certainly never have been included on any map.

Still, Ursa was progressing on her way at a rapid and steady pace, unhindered by the unwanted attention of strangers. Once more, she congratulated herself on picking out that youth's coat to transform her look into acceptable daytime attire. Well maybe the red fishnet tights would be considered inappropriate attire regardless of it being day or night, but like this she at least felt less exposed. She noted with appreciation that the streets were evenly covered in cobblestones, thus facilitating her passage. It was-

 _But wait! Didn't I use to pass through an area where the roads consisted solely of trampled mud in order to get home?_

Pure consternation struck her immobile in the middle of the street.

But yes. Of course. While at that time she'd been lodged in a cheep inn in a neat and respectable area well outside of the Red Light District, that had been located at an even further distance than the Fire Lotus. And she remembered distinctly that each time she'd wanted to exit The Red Light District to go home, that had necessitated walking though those trampled mud streets in an area with seriously derelict buildings. This being regardless of from which direction and surrounding side street she had entered the District.

Oh, sweet Mother of Faces! Ursa felt ready to tear her own hair out in frustration. Except that would of course have meant causing it to turn into an even greater mess. Instead, she settled for seeking out a sheltered spot behind a tiled wall, and do some light breathing exercises with closed eyes. That calmed her down sufficiently to proceed out into the street. All right, so she'd never had a great sense of direction, but now she was relying on what little she had plus the memories of former excursions in and out of this place to tell her where to go.

 _Left. Go left._

All right, so left it was. Turning on her heel, Ursa continued determinedly down yet another cobbled road, indistinguishable from all the rest. Indistinguishable at least at first, that was. As she continued, she found that the street was gradually becoming narrower, more sloping. The houses were becoming taller and more rickety, nearly obscuring the light completely. As she approached, her eyes narrowed and she sharpened her vision. Did the street open up into the area she searched for? Far off in the distance was what looked like light coming in, indicating an opening. Some kind of-

A mural? Dumbfounded, Ursa stared up at a solid wall some five meters tall, decorated with the artfully painted image of desert dunes in blazing sun. No vegetation, no people, no actual scenario. Just this strange image that somehow managed to convey the impression of… light? An opening?

But there was no opening.

The realization struck her like a flash of lightning. She was locked in a blind alley.

Cold shivers went up her spine.

Ursa whirled, ready to get out of this cursed place, whatever it was, ready to run if necessary, ready to…

The dark silhouette barred the exit to the alleyway efficiently. Something in its left hand caught the sparse light and glinted briefly.

"So, what have we here, eh? A pretty little hooker, fresh off the streets. I bet you had a productive night."

Well, so much for her supposed disguise. Circling cautiously, head bent like a prey seeking for any opening she could locate, she focused on the male barring her exit.

Mid twenties, gaunt look, worn nondescript outfit in greys and browns. Brown hair. A couple of visible scars marred his face and arms, most notably what looked like a slash scar running diagonally across his face. He looked hungry.

Cursing internally, Ursa searched her pockets futilely for weapons. Nothing, unless a comb would do. How could she have been this stupid? She'd lived in Yu Dao for eight years now, and considered herself streetwise. How could-

"All right, lady. You know the drill. Hand over your valuables. You know, your stash from tonight's tricks." He didn't even leer at her, just flicked the switchblade in his hand around lightly to make sure she caught the message.

Ursa's eyes narrowed. It took a special person to rob a street worker of her night's earnings. Hard rage filled her. Reaching down, she picked up a broken piece of cobblestone.

"Make me."

"Do you want to make me slice your innards out of your belly, you fucking piece of scum trash whore!?"

"You go ahead and try."

Her right arm shot out suddenly, hurling the sharp cobblestone at her attacker. It caught him slightly above the left temple, grazing him and drawing blood. Ursa leaned back quickly to find another cobblestone, a slightly larger one this time. She'd always been a good pitcher, with a great sense of aim. Still, time was running out. How long could she fend him off like this before he got to her and managed to wrestle her down? She had no doubt that in his current state of rage, he'd slice her throat, take her money, run off and leave her dead body lying in the alleyway to rot.

The robber was getting ready to lunge. Ursa weighed the cobblestone in her hand.

"AAAAAAAHHHHHH!"

The sudden war cry shattered the doomed silence of the alley. A figure sprinted into it to bring a long wooden stick with a fan of metal claws down on the robber's head with a dull thud. A rake!? Ursa didn't have time to think. As the robber cursed and went down on one knee, she hurled the second stone at his head. Misfiring badly, it hit him straight in the shoulder instead. That caused a bellow of pain and rage. Also, the surprise attack made him drop his switchblade, which skidded a few meters away. A groan of pain as her unknown ally brought the rake down on her attacker's back and head, hard enough to make it break. Ursa took the opportunity to bolt and run. As she did so, her attacker caught her ankle, causing her to take a spectacular dive onto the hard cobblestones. It was all she could do to instinctively roll up into a ball in order to prevent her knees from grazing. Ooh, the Manager wouldn't like that. Instead, her hip and buttocks cushioned the fall.

The iron grip kept hardening as the robber pulled her towards him. He was attempting to rise, while at the same time searching for his missing weapon. A sudden gleam indicated that he'd found it. His…

"Here! Take this, you piece of scum!"'

A shadow appeared suddenly in Ursa's field of vision. She was feeling dizzy, attempting to regain her senses. Enough to see the boy placing a well aimed kick in the robber's face. A sharp crunch and a flow of blood indicated a satisfying result. Rising to her feet was a supreme effort but she managed to accomplish it amongst waves of nausea, just in time to see the boy kick her assailant soundly in the gut. He curled up with a groan of pain.

A pair of green eyes met hers. A hand reached out to grab hers.

"Come on! We don't have that long until he recovers. Run!"

Ursa didn't need telling twice. Sprinting out of the narrow alley tugged forward by the unknown boy's hand, she ran down cobbled streets as fast as she could. It wasn't until they reached an open square with what looked like some kind of market place that they finally stopped. Ursa sank to the ground with her back against a stone wall, panting.

"Th… Tha… Thanks. If it weren't for you, I probably wouldn't have made it out of that alleyway alive."

"No problem. That swine had been trailing you for at least the last six blocks. I spotted him and knew that he was up to no good. So, I just decided to jump in."

The boy's voice kept breaking in the odd cadences of uncomfortable pubescence.

"Where did that rake come from?"

He blushed. "Oh… Uh… I took it from the brushmaker's further down the block. I knew it would come in handy."

Ursa shook her head in disbelief. Scrutinizing her young rescuer, she quickly stated that he was about 12 or 13 years old. Possibly 14. About the same age that her own son had been when she'd left him and the rest of her past behind her. Green Earth Kingdom eyes, a grubby face, tousled hair and nondescript, somewhat worn clothes. She regarded him closely.

"You say you saw him following me for the last six blocks or so? Why that would mean… that would mean that you were tailing me yourself?"

The blush deepened on the grimy cheeks.

"I… I've seen you before. Around town. You work at the Fire Lotus, don't you?"

Now, how much did this boy know about adult affairs? Remembering what she herself had been like at 13, Ursa realized uncomfortably that his knowledge was probably extensive. In theory, if not in practice.

Well, no use beating around the bush.

"Yes. I work at the Fire Lotus. I used to work exclusively in house, but my manager's decided that it would be a good business move for me to get out more." She smiled wryly at no one in particular.

The boy shot her a shy sideways look, then stared down into his lap. He was hugging his legs closer to his body. Ursa on the other hand was starting to feel relaxed enough to light up a tobacco stick. Almost. A look at the boy made her change her mind.

"My Uncle says that whores aren't allowed into the Spirit Realm. That when they die, their spirits will be annihilated."

"Oh? Who's your Uncle, the Head Fire Sage?"

The sarcastic tone made the boy flinch as if she'd struck him. Ursa responded immediately.

"I'm sorry, okay? It's been a long time since I was in regular contact with… with young people. I'm so sorry for being mean. And thanks, again. I really mean it. I do believe you saved my life this morning."

She reached out and placed her arm reassuringly around his shoulders, hugging him to her. Surprisingly, the boy gave a tiny sigh and placed his head on her shoulder. The situation was so absurdly unexpected, yet so ridiculously comfortable that she felt compelled to speak.

"Your mother must be getting worried about you?"

The boy had created a comfortable little nest on her shoulder. His breath was hot but not unpleasant on her neck. To her surprise, he'd also managed to sneak an arm around her waist and was hugging her tight.

"Doran. Nah, she doesn't worry. She knows I can manage. Besides, she's busy."

Ursa's frown deepened.

"So Doran. You've seen me around town before?"

He nodded. "Usually in the afternoon, when I return home from school. This was the first time that I've seen you in the morning. So… so I got curious. So I decided to skip school to see where you were going. That's how I discovered that that creep was following you."

Ursa opened her mouth several times, then decided to shut it. When she finally spoke, it was out of bare necessity. The boy seemed fully content with them sitting there like this, him snuggling up against her neck and shoulder.

"Well you know Doran, I'm ever so grateful to you for intervening. If there's ever anything that I can do for you, please just let me know. I owe you one."

The boy raised his head. To her surprise, his cheeks were stained a bright crimson blush.

"Do… Do you know how to find your way back to the Fire Lotus?"

"No. In fact, that was something I meant to ask you. How the blazes do I get out of this place? It's like a maze!"

"Don't worry. I'll help you."

The boy took her hand.

Indeed, the way out of the Red Light District was labyrinthine, twisting and turning in impossible directions, meandering and sometimes going back on itself. Ursa sincerely doubted that she'd ever been able to clear it without the help of her young guide. But twenty minutes later, they were standing in a busy street surrounded by respectable citizens in well kept clothing, all mingling and thronging, striding forth with purpose in their eyes. Ursa gave a sigh of relief.

"All right. I know where I am now. Thank you so much, Doran! Without you, I… I don't care to think about what could have happened."

The boy regarded her with shining eyes. "I could escort you to the Fire Lotus too, if you like!"

Ursa shook her head decisively. She might be earning her living as a prostitute, but she still had some basic sense of responsibility.

"No thank you, Doran. I can find my way back without problem now. And you, young man-"

She slid her fingers along the back of his neck to emphasize her words.

"You, young man, need to get back to school. Just tell your teacher that you saved a lady from getting mugged and you'll be the hero of the day. I promise."

Ursa leaned down to pull him in for a heartfelt hug. The boy slung his arms around her torso and hung on, clinging to her with surprising strength. His face was firmly buried in her cleavage. Taken aback, overcome by feelings firmly hidden by means of lock and key ever since she'd left the Fire Nation, Ursa kept on stroking his back and head lightly, tangling her long fingers in his unruly hair.

"There, there now… There, there…"

Several minutes passed. Then, several more. Finally, Ursa felt compelled to take the boy's wrists in her hands and disentangle herself from his embrace. He emerged, red-faced, from her ample bosom.

"This is it, Doran, time for our roads to part. Perhaps we'll meet again. We're friends now, you and I, right?"

The answer came out with surprising vehemence.

"I… I wish that I were rich! Then I could come visit you every day at the Fire Lotus!"

Ursa stared at him, somewhat taken aback. Then she just gave a little laugh and shook her head.

"You wish that you were rich enough to do what you like? Well Doran, don't we all. Don't we all. Bye bye now."

She turned decisively on her heel and strode off towards the Fire Lotus, leaving the boy staring after her disappearing back.


End file.
